Sunday, September 30, 2012

Thought Paper #4



     Signage is important for many different reasons. It can serve as directions to lead people to a particular destination. It can bring color and art to a once plain white wall or billboard. It can be monumental or even simply serve as a reminder to keep off the outdoor bowling greens in a public park. The signage in Golden Gate Park does all of these things and more. If you were to take a stroll around the park, it wouldn’t be long before you found one of the many monumental statues of important historical figures. The signage within Golden Gate Park has done quite a bit in the way of developing the area. It has made the park an easily accessible and enjoyable place for people of all ages to enjoy. With the clear directional signs, it is quite simple to find your way to just about any specific destination in the park. While I was enjoying the sunshine in the park with Madeline last week, we found the directional signage particularly useful in finding our way to the carousel and outdoor bowling greens.  The many different statues and works of art have also attracted people from all over the country to come and see the sights for themselves.
     The signage varies in all different parts of the park. It is quite noticeable to see the difference between the signage on the exterior of the various museums. Outside of the Science Museum there are various statues, but the majority of what surrounds it pertains to the scientific field. Similarly, many varying forms of art encompass the de Young Art Museum, as if to give you a taste of what lies within. I think that it is a fair assessment to say that the exterior of the museums in the park often reflects upon what lies within the walls. It’s a way of using signage to clue people in on what surrounds them.
     If you are a perceptive individual in the slightest, it won’t be very difficult to notice how the visual language of the signage communicates information on what the museums contain. By simply looking around the exterior of a museum, the forms of art and signage will certainly clue you in on what the museums contain. Even the architectural aspects of the museums reflect upon what kind of museum you are approaching.
     Noticing and reading signage is really all about being perceptive and reading the landscape. It is quite easy to miss simple pieces of signage that can tell a whole story or help you to make connections. By looking deeply into what surrounds you though, I can almost guarantee that you will find yourself learning so much more about the area.  

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